My name is Leigha, and I am here to tell you Reagan’s story. I found out I was pregnant in June 2013. I was very scared, and didn’t know what to do. I knew one thing, I wanted this beautiful child. I struggled for months with light bleeding. ER visits galore. They found a large cyst on my one remaining ovary that was growing very rapidly, and gave the cyst a month to shrink. The doctor said if it doesn’t get smaller, surgery was my only option. A month passed by, and the cyst shrunk from 8 cm to 2.4 cm!! I was so relieved, and thanked God so much that I didn’t need surgery. Everything was fine I thought… but it wasn’t.

I was setting up for a surprise birthday party for my mom on August 25th 2013. I started to bleed a lot. it was on and off for the whole day, and went to the ER. Baby was fine they said. Heartbeat 158, and movements were awesome. Unfortunately, they found a small tear in my placenta. They called it a Placenta abruption. I didn’t know about this tear though since I went to an ER that my OB was not contracted with, so the results just sat… I had a OB appointment the next day, and they requested the results. Two long days I waited, and called my Dr.’s office. They scheduled an emergency stage 2 ultrasound to see how much the tear was. I was told everything would resume, and baby should be fine.

August 30th 2013 we saw our little baby moving all around… when the ultrasound tech got to between the legs, there it was…I saw it, and didn’t even need to be told….it was A GIRL! Daddy was super excited as we have another little girl who is 5, and their bond is incredible. He was gleaming from ear to ear with a smile as wide as the sea. Nothing could stop our excitement. Except for one thing….she was still in danger due to the tear. The Dr. said she appears to be fine, and would still go on to live a healthy life, but that there was a small chance the tear could get worse. He also said there was a pocket of blood and a blood clot that may come out or get reabsorbed by my body.

Saturday, August 31st 2013…I was on break from work and went to the bathroom…two large blood clots came out with one small cough. I rushed myself back to the ER to have them say everything is fine. They monitored me for 30 minutes or so, and sent me on my way home. On the drive home, I started to cramp. I needed to get back to work as I have called off almost the whole week to take care of appointments for our little girl. She was the most important and work could wait. Cramps got worse, and then subsided. I went to bed, and woke up at 1am screaming bloody murder about 1 in the morning. I had a pain in my lower stomach that I’ve never felt before. I drove 90 miles an hour to the hospital and got there in time. She was still alive! Heart rate was 167, and Frank the ultrasound guy for the Hospital said it was certainly a girl, and that she was fine. He said the tear is still the same size and nothing to worry about. So, they sent me to the ER side to see why I had that really horrible pain. I met with Frank again, as they wanted to look at other parts of my body. They found my gall bladder with a bunch of gallstones in it. I was admitted immediately, and send to the surgery floor to await the surgeons thoughts. He said I was fine and didn’t need surgery, so I can be released the very next day!

Then it happened. I know I was in the hospital for a reason, but for no reason to stay as well. I started having horrible cramps in my back that would come and go steady for about 20 minutes. I told the nurse and she said they would ask the Dr. if I can get pain medicine. I told her it kind of felt like contractions… she dismissed my claim. I sat in the chair in the hospital crying from the pain, and then POP. something inside me popped. I stood up to go to the restroom, and it was my water. It had broke. 18 weeks pregnant, and I was in labor! I rushed out of my room, screamed to the first nurse I saw, and said “IM 18 WEEKS PREGNANT, and MY WATER JUST BROKE” within minutes, I was in the OB triage area. Pain so intense I was screaming louder than I have ever screamed before. I was alone. I was scared. I knew….my baby just couldn’t survive. Husband was on his way up with our 5 year old as this was happening, but it was too late. Reagan Harper Ewing was born on September 1st at 11:22 P.M. I felt her moving as she laid between my legs, but nurses could do nothing to help her survive. She was just too small. My baby was gone the same minute she was born….there was nothing even I could do. I know, I tried everything for this little miracle to survive. God just needed her more.